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Mulan
Regions:'''Chessenta, Chondalwood, Mulhorand, Thay, Unther. '''Racial Feats: Sacred Tattoo, Theocrat. Introduction Since the fall of ancient Imaskar, the Mulan have dominated the eastern shores of the Sea of Fallen Stars. Led by two pantheons of deities, the ancient Mulan empires of Mulhorand and Unther conquered at various times Ashanath, Chessenta, the Eastern Shaar, Murghom, Rashemen, Semphar, Thay, Thesk, and the Wizards’ Reach cities that lie south of the Yuirwood. In their wake, these empires have left ruling elites composed almost exclusively of Mulan. After millennia of rulership, the Mulan have become arrogant, highly resistant to change, and wholly convinced of their cultural superiority. The Mulan are firmly wedded to the use of magic, with the only major point of disagreement being whether to pursue the arcane or divine tradition. For many generations the god-lings, powerful avatars of the Mulhorandi and Untheric deities long resident on Toril, ruled both empires as incarnate gods. The somnolent rule of the god-kinds permitted the development of a powerful priest class in Mulan cultures that has long struggled with practitioners of arcane spellcasting for power. Their heavy-handed clerical rule prompted repeated rebellions by wizards and sorcerers, leading to the dominance of Thay by Red Wizards of Mulan descent. Mulan are generally tall, slim, and sallow-skinned with eyes of hazel or brown. They lack much body hair, and many, including all nobles, shave any hair that they do have. Hair color on an unshaved Mulan ranges from black to dark brown. The lower classes of Thay, Mulhorand, and Unther often have significant Rashemi or Turami blood, leading to darker complexions. The folk of Chessenta have long mixed with the nearby Chondathans, and pure Mulan features are rare there. The Mulan have a long and proud history, viewing both their society and their culture as eternal. Rapid change is regarded with suspicion, and the arcane arts either warmly embraced (Thay) or viewed with deep distrust (Mulhorand and Unther). Mulan believe themselves to be more civilized, more prosperous, more creative, more powerful (should they choose to be), and in all other ways superior to all other ethnic groups. Even in the face of evidence to the contrary, Mulan are dismissive of other cultures’ accomplishments and openly arrogant with respect to their own. The history of the Mulan is largely the history of Mulhorand, Unther, Chessenta, and Thay, as detailed in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. ((The listed places shall have their history posted in my Geography thread, in the near future.)) 'Outlook' The Mulan believe in order and discipline and are strongly resistant to change, the legacy of millennia of undying rule by the god-kings of Unther and Mulhorand. They haughtily believe that they are either the chosen of the gods (in Mulhorand, Unther, and Chessenta) or above the gods (in Thay) and hold their culture above all others. Unlike most other human cultures, the Mulan believe they dwell in an earthly paradise, where stability and security shall reign for all eternity. The afterlife is merely a mirror of the mortal realm. In Thay, such beliefs have been twisted to regard undeath as the mirror of life, while in Unther the centuries-long tyranny of Gilgeam made a horror of both this world and the next. Mulan are indoctrinated from a young age to revere their cultural traditions, to respect the law, and to honor the servants of the gods (or the Red Wizards, in the case of Thay). Although not drawn to adventuring, the Mulan seen outside their traditional homelands are usually adventurers of one sort or another. Some have fled enslavement or been driven into exile due to differences with the local authorities, whether they be mercenary lords in Chessenta, cultists of Tiamat in the remnants of Unther, bureaucratic priests in Mulhorand, or autocratic Red Wizards in Thay. Others are sent abroad as agents of one of the Mulan realms, serving as representatives of a Thayan enclave, tracking down relics plundered from a Mulhorandi tomb, fighting in a Chessentan mercenary company, or spying on those who have designs on Unther’s carcass. Mulan Characters Mulan typically make good fighters, whether trained in the mercenary armies of Chessenta, the church armies of Unther and Mulhorand, or the wizard-led armies of Thay. The road to power in Mulhorand and, until recently, Unther lies in the various priesthoods. As a result, many Mulan in those realms are clerics of one of the Mulhorandi gods, Hoar, or Tiamat. Chessenta has its fair share of clerics as well, many of whom serve various Faerunian deities, but only the churches of Kossuth and several evil Faerunian deities are strong in wizard-dominated Thay. In Mulhorand, good-aligned deities with strong martial traditions employ many paladins in their service. Wizards and clerics are well established in Chessenta, Mulhorand, Thay, and Unther, although their efforts are much restricted in Mulhorand by the bureaucracy of priests. Bardcraft, brought back by Chessentan mercenaries from western Faerun, is held in high esteem in Chessenta but is otherwise almost unknown in lands dominated by the Mulan. Monks are found in large numbers only on Mulhorand, where most orders are integrated into the church of Thoth. Rogues are common in the teeming cities of Mulhorand and Unther, where priests are more corrupt than pious. Mulan are almost never barbarians or druids, as they have always lived in cultures established by the god-kinds and their clerics. Likewise, Mulan rarely find their calling as rangers, for the Mulan dwell in long-settled lands with few forests or other areas of wilderness. Prestige Classes: Many Mulan take up the divine prestige classes of arcane devotee, divine champion, divine disciple, and divine seeker. Assassins and blackguards devoted to evil deities are not unknown in Mulan societies and are especially prevalent in Thay and Unther. In Thay, almost all Mulan wizards of sufficient skill eventually choose to join the ranks of the Red Wizards. Mulan Society Despite the fragmentation of the Old Empires of Mulhorand and Unther, the Mulan have changed little despite the passage of centuries. Strict class divisions segregate Mulan society into the nobility (including all clerics and arcane spellcasters), the commoners (farmers, merchants, and skilled craftsman), and slaves (everyone else). Although upward and downward mobility is possible in Mulan society, primarily by joining the clergy or studying the Art, the Mulan discriminate against most other human ethnic groups and races and preserve strictly defined class roles. Despite the centuries-long presence of the god-kings, the Mulan are not particularly reverent, nor are they overly interested in commerce. The Mulan aspire to power, preferably backed by magic, and engage in endless intrigues to accumulate personal power no matter what the cost to ideals to which they nominally ascribe. Mulan place great stock in education, and all members of the nobility and middle class receive some amount of instruction as a child. Many youths are apprenticed to a powerful wizard (Thay) or join the church of one of the god-kings (Mulhorand and Unther) at a young age and are raised apart from their families. As adults, the Mulan are expected to serve their role in society and not make waves. Death is a lifelong obsession for most Mulan, who spend their entire lives preparing themselves for the afterlife. The Mulhorandi epitomize this obsession, planning every detail of their journey into the afterlife. Outside Mulan-dominated lands, Mulan keep to themselves, forming isolated enclaves apart from the local society. Thayan enclaves are simply the latest such example of the Mulan holding themselves apart from and above other races and human ethnic groups when dwelling in foreign lands. Of necessity, some cross-pollination of cultures does occur through trade contact with neighbors, but expatriate Mulan prefer to limit such contacts whenever possible. Mulan from the Old Empires almost never venerate deities other than their homeland’s pantheon, and most Thayans can hardly be bothered with any gods. Few Mulan see the point of any languages other than the local dialect of the Common tongue. Language and Literacy Depending on their homeland, Mulan speak one of the various tongues of the Rauric language family--all derived, at least in part, from the slave argot of ancient Imaskar. The language of Unther is Untheric, while the language of Mulhorand, Murghom, Semphar, and Thay is Mulhorandi. Untheric employs Dethek runes for its alphabet, suggesting a strong tie between the gold dwarves of the Great Rift and the early inhabitants of Unther. Mulhorandi is rendered in the Celestial alphabet, first introduced by a manifestation of Thoth. In Chessenta and the Wizards’ Reach, Chessentan, a tongue closely related to Untheric with strong Chondathan and Shaaran influences, has largely supplanted Untheric. The folk of Chessenta have long used the Thorass alphabet in addition to Dethek runes, and Chessentan is almost exclusively written using Thorass characters. Both Thay and the cult of Set render Mulhorandi in the Infernal alphabet, consciously repudiating the rule of the current god-kings. Common is less frequently spoken in Mulan-dominated lands than elsewhere in Faerun, but it still widely known nonetheless. Mulan who learn second tongues often choose one of the other Rauric languages mentioned above, Aglarondan (among the cities of the Wizards’ Reach), Chondathan (Chessenta), Durpari (southern Mulhorand), Rashemi (Thay and the Wizards’ Reach), Shaaran (southern Unther), Shou (Semphar), and Turmic (Chessenta and Mulhorand). All Mulan are literate except for barbarians (very rare among this ancient race), commoners, and warriors. Mulan Magic and Lore To the Mulan, magic is a tool for intrigue. Divination and illusion magic are particularly valued, for they facilitate the subtle plots that Mulan spellcasters employ. Spells and Spellcasting The Mulan have strong traditions in both arcane and divine spellcasting, the former a legacy of ancient Imaskar and the latter the result of the millennia-long residence of the god-kings among them. These two spellcasting traditions have long been at odds with one another, manifested most clearly in the separation of Thay from Mulhorand. In Thay, nearly all arcane spellcasters aspire to join the ranks of the Red Wizards, where specialization in a school of magic is taken to an extreme not seen elsewhere in Faerun. Of those spellcasters who are of lower rank, wizards outnumber sorcerers, and bards are almost unknown. In Mulhorand and Unther, where the practice of arcane magic is much restricted, most spellcasters are clerics of one of the many Mulhorand god-kings. Paladins are found in greater numbers than in other cultures, but rangers and druids are all but unknown. In Chessenta, bards outnumber other practitioners of the Art, and clerics of both the Faerunian and Mulhorandi pantheons are common as well. Spellcasting Traditions: Mulan favor spells that ensure personal defense and enable one to learn a deity’s will. Combat spells, particularly those of an elemental nature, are also common. In Thay, arcane spells of elemental fire are much preferred. In Mulhorand, Murghom, and Unther, spells that safeguard tombs of the dead or inflict curses upon the living are much favored. Commonly known examples include augury, bestow curse, commune, fireball, glyph of warding, and symbol. With their history of god-kings and powerful magic, Mulan spellcasters cast spells somewhat differently than their counterparts elsewhere on Faerun. Those with the Southern Magician feat are able to occasionally cast arcane spells as divine spells, or vice versa. Unique Spells: Although Mulan spellcasters have created large numbers of spells, both arcane and divine, various cultural influences have combined to ensure that few are widely known. The priesthood of Thoth has long striven to keep arcane Mulhorandi secrets hidden from the outside world. Infighting between individuals as well as the various schools of magic in Thay has kept most Red Wizards spells from becoming widely known, even among their fellows. In Unther, the now-dead god Gilgeam kept very tight wraps on all new spells, seeing them as a threat to his continued rule. Mulan Magic Items The Mulan have traditionally discouraged the creation of arcane magic items, in large part for the same reason that they study of the Art has been discouraged--to preserve the power of the priests. While such cultural discouragement of magic item creation continues to hold true in Mulhorand and, to a lesser extent, Unther and Chessenta, it has been wholeheartedly rejected by Thayan Mulan. As indicated by the burgeoning number of Thayan enclaves scattered across Faerun, the Red Wizards are responsible for a large fraction of the widely known types of magic items in use in Faerun today. The Red Wizards have created many unique magic items as well, but they jealously hold such secrets for themselves. Various magical staffs are quite common as well, as the quarterstaff is the original symbol of authority in the lands of the god-kings. Khopeshes, scimitars, and swords are commonly crafted with brilliant energy, ghost touch, holy, throwing, thundering, wounding, and unholy special abilities. Whips are often given the wounding special ability. Quarterstaffs typically receive disruption and holy special abilities. Armor is typically crafted with cooling, fire resistance, or lightning resistance special abilities. Common Magic Items: Incense of meditation, necklaces of prayer beads, oil of timelessness, phylacteries of faithfulness, scarabs of protection, rods of rulerships, staffs of healing, and vestments of faith. The numerous priests in Mulan lands produce enough of these items that they may be purchased at a 10% discount in any large city in Mulhorand or Unther (due to the Thayan rejection of religion, this discount does not apply in Thay). Iconic Magic Items: Among the more powerful magic items in many a Mulan spellcaster’s arsenal is the ankh of ascension, which makes all her spells function better. Mulan Deities The Mulan are the last major human ethnic group to venerate a pantheon of deities other than the dominant Faerunian pantheon. Until the Time of Troubles, the Mulan of Mulhorand, Murghom, and Semphar venerated the Mulhorandi pantheon, while Unther, Threskel, and parts of Chessenta venerated the Untheric pantheon. Following the deaths of Gilgeam and Ramman during the Avatar Crisis, the Untheric pantheon effectively vanished, its last members (Tiamat and Assuran) absorbed into the Faerunian pantheon. The Mulhorandi pantheon finally awoke to its own dire position. Today, the Mulan of Mulhorand, Murghom, Semphar, and Unther venerate the Mulhorandi pantheon, while those who dwell in Chessenta, the Wizards’ Reach, and Thay largely venerate the Faerunian pantheon. Assuran, the Lord of Three Thunders, is known as Hoar in other lands. He is a deity of justice and vengeance, venerated by Mulan of Unther and Chessenta, although his cult is strongest in the cities of Akanax and Mourktar. Hoar’s church has declined in influence in Unther as Anhur’s has grown, but it remains strong in Chessenta where Hoar, in his guises as Assuran, is venerated as a god of storms and regarded as one of the celestial patrons of the country. Horus-Re, the Lord of the sun, is worshiped primarily by Mulhorandi who govern and administer. Although his faith is strongest in Mulhorand, his church has attracted an increasing number of adherents from the ranks of the fallen Untheric god Gilgeam who have renounced their formerly wicked ways. Clerics of Horus-Re rule vast estates in the name of their deity, and control an immense amount of wealth and power in Mulhorand. Women in Mulhorand and Unther have long worshiped Isis, the Bountiful Lady, known as Ishtar in Unther. She has a very strong following among good-aligned arcane spellcasters. Before his death the Untheric god Gilgeam blamed Tiamat for all Unther’s ills, driving many Untherites who opposed his harsh rule into her embrace. The Dragon Queen earned her moniker as Nemesis of the Gods when she slew the Supreme Ruler of Unther during the Time of Troubles, an act of liberation that has earned her church large numbers of adherents, even among nonevil Mulan. In neighboring Chessenta, Tiamat has many followers as well, for there she is known as Tchazzar, the red dragon Father of Chessenta. In time, her church is likely to contract when Tiamat’s true nature is finally revealed. Relations with other Races The Mulan view members of other human ethnic groups with disdain. The Turami minorities of Mulhorand, Unther, Threskel, and Chessenta are generally tolerated, (except in Unther, where they are almost universally despised), but they are always considered members of the lower class. North of the Wizards’ Reach, the Rashemi form the bulk of the lower class of Thay. The Red Wizards nominally restrict their ranks to Mulan wizards and sorcerers, but many look the other way if they find a Rashemi spellcaster skilled in the Art and willing to pretend to be a Mulan, although powerful Rashemi wizards can dispense with the charade. The Mulan get along with the gold dwarves of the Great Rift, thanks to centuries of trade, and are inclined to view all the Stout Folk in similar light, although arctic dwarves and wild dwarves might prove an exception. Rock gnomes are largely unknown, so the Mulan view them as little dwarves. Halflings are similarly rare, as the largest nearby concentration of then hin lies in far-off Luiren, and are generally treated much like dwarves as well. Elves and half-elves are almost unknown to the Mulan and the subject of great superstition, stemming in large part from the frustrations Unther’s armies experienced long ago while attempting to subjugate the Yuirwood. In Mulhorand and Unther, the Fair Folk are seen as wizards by the bureaucracy of priests, and thus are regarded with the same combination of fear and loathing as Red Wizards of Thay. The Mulan despise half-orcs, a legacy of the Orcgate Wars handed down for centuries. Western Chessenta is a notable exception, particularly in the city of Airspur, where half-orcs are tolerated. Of the nonhuman civilized races, Planetouched, particularly aasimar, are the only race looked up to by the Mulan. After millennia of intimate involvement with the god-kings, aasimar of Mulan descent are seen as descendants of the gods and thus worthy of great respect. Tieflings engender fear rather than reverence, for they are seen as the spawn of Set and Sebek. Genasai are scarce, although fire genasi of Mulan descent are treated as full-blooded Mulan in Thay and welcomed into the School of Evocation. Mulan Equipment Mulan favor simple, unadorned clothing, such as white tunics, black headdresses, belts, and sandals. In colder climes, more colorful garments may be worn, but the fashion is for clothing to remain plain, a tradition originally begun so as not to challenge the majesty of the god-kings. Tattoos are the most common form of adornment, often depicting stylized representations of various beasts and monsters, cryptic runes, and abstract designs. Arms and Armor In ages past, Mulan employed bronze weapons, typically khopeshes or scimitars, and many relics fashioned of bronze are still in use today as ceremonial attire or because they bear powerful magic. Modern-day Mulan favor steel swords, introduced after the gold dwarves passed on the secret of forging steel, and composite bows, which were used to great effect during the Orcgate Wars. Most other weapons employed in western Faerun, with the exception of longspears and other pole arms, are employed to varying degrees by the Mulan as well. Quarterstaffs are favored in Mulhorand, particularly by clerics, and whips are the weapon of choice of many Red Wizards. The armor of choice of most Mulan is scale mail, although they have adopted chain mail and breastplates in recent centuries. Heavy armor is almost unknown, possessed only by the greatest warriors. Common Items: Scale mail, banded mail, scimitar, khopesh, light mace, heavy mace, shortspears, composite longbow. Animals and Pets In lands ruled by the god-kings, the Mulan revere felines as divine agents, reflecting the lingering influence of the Cult of Bast centuries after that minor Mulhorandi goddess evolved into Sharess. Horses are highly prized in greater Mulhorand, particularly in Murghom and Semphar. Perhaps because of its large population of centaurs, Thay is not particularly known for its horses. Instead, black unicorns form the heart of Thayan cavalry squadrons. In Thay, arcane spellcasters of Mulan descent employ imps, quasits, shocker lizards, stirges, tiny snakes, and toads as familiars. Members of the Order of the Magi in Mulhorand prefer animals associated with their patron deity, particularly hawks and ibises. Sources Sean K. Reynolds, Matt Forbeck, James Jacobs, Eric L. Boyd (March 2003). Races of Faerûn. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-2875-1. Category:Human subraces Category:Introduction Category:Races Category:Subraces